SUI - Stress Urinary Incontinence
While it can be a sensitive subject to talk about, stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, is completely normal and way more common than you’d think. On average, one-third of women struggle with SUI in their lifetime, especially if they have had a child.
During pregnancy, women can experience at least once form of urinary incontinence. This incontinence can be mild and infrequent for some pregnant women, but can be more severe for others. Age and body mass index can also be contributing factors for pregnancy incontinence.
What is SUI?
Stress urinary incontinence involves involuntary loss of urine. This can be caused by many different physical movements that exerts pressure on your bladder, and as a result, causes urine to leak out of your bladder.
SUI occurs when the muscles that control your bladder are weakened. The muscles that support your urethra, also known as pelvic floor muscles, are what control holding your bladder, preventing you from peeing. When these muscles become weakened, anything forceful to the abdominal can put pressure on your bladder, causing leakage.
Actions that cause stress on the body and can lead to urinary incontinence include:
- Laughing
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Jumping
- Exercising
- Heavy lifting
- Bending over
- Sexual intercourse
In women, these muscles and tissue can be weakened as an effect of childbirth. Women who have had a natural childbirth are more likely to develop urinary incontinence than those who have given birth via a cesarian section.
Incontinence Caused by Stress
There are different kind of urinary incontinence that someone can experience. Women who are currently pregnant or have given birth can experience “stress incontinence,” the most common form of urinary incontinence in women. In stress incontinence, the bladder and muscles surrounding the urethra can’t function well enough to hold urine.
SUI during pregnancy can also be caused by an overactive bladder. Women who have this need to urinate more than usual because their bladders experience uncontrollable spasms. In addition, the muscles surrounding the urethra can be affected.
During pregnancy, the muscles around the urethra and the bladder sphincter can weaken due to the stress of carrying a child. After pregnancy, incontinence problems can continue, since childbirth weakens the pelvic floor muscles even more.
How It’s Treated During Pregnancy
There are certain behavioural methods that can be helpful in threating urinary incontinence during and after pregnancy. There are a few methods to help this:
- Timed Voiding
To practice this, you record the times you urinate and when you leak by tracking it in either a chart or diary. This way, you are aware of when you need to have access to a washroom and can avoid leaking in the future by going to the washroom at those times.
- Bladder Training
In bladder training, you use times intervals in which you wait a little longer before you actually need to go to the washroom. For instance, you can plan to go to the washroom once every hour. Once you master this, you can stretch this time a bit further. Instead of going to the washroom every 60 minutes, try 90. Eventually you will be able to control your bladder to be able to go three or four hours in between washroom visits.
- Postponing Visits
Another method to try is to postpone visits to the washroom by 15 or so minutes from when you first get the urge to go. You can start off with 15 minutes, then work up to 30 minutes and so on.
By doing these methods of controlling your bladder, you are training your body to use the washroom when you are able to. Instead of urinating too frequently and without much control, you can gain some flexibility to when you need to go.
Lifestyle Changes That Treat SUI
If your urinary incontinence continues after pregnancy, or you find that you are simply unable to control your bladder, there are a few lifestyle changes that can help.
If your incontinence is caused by your weight, speak to your doctor. They might suggest a healthy diet and some light exercise. Losing weight can take the pressure off of your bladder and abdomen, which can help stress urinary incontinence.
Cutting down on items that exacerbate the condition is also helpful, including caffeine, alcohol, and foods high in oxalic acid as consumption of these items are know to increase the need to visit the washroom. Additionally, making sure you’re in good physical shape, can also help with fighting incontinence.
Can Kegels Help?
Kegel exercises involves contracting the pelvic muscles responsible for controlling your urine. By strengthening these muscles, you gain more control over your bladder and ultimately gain control in when you visit the washroom. While these are great at strengthening your muscles, it takes a lot of practice and you have to be very consistent with it. Even then, there’s only so much that Kegels can do.
Silk’n Tightra - for Proven Results
As an alternative to surgery, Silk’n has come out with a high-tech, scientifically proven product to help anyone suffering from stress urinary incontinence. The Tightra was designed to strengthen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles and reduce urinary incontinence. Tightra is the first and only home-use device that uses Radio Frequency, a medically proven technology that increases blood flow and boosts elastin and collagen production. This vaginal tightening can also improve sexual function and vulvovaginal appearance. Radio Frequency energy has been used by the medical community for many years as an alternative to invasive surgery. Now Silk’n has adapted this technology as an over-the counter vaginal tightening device for at home use.
Some benefits of the Tightra include:
- Increased bladder control
- Relieves discomfort caused by excessive dryness
- Improves vulvovaginal appearance
- Experience results in as little as 4 weeks
- Painless and easy to use
How Does the Tightra Work?
Tightra uses Radio Frequency energy that flows between the device electrodes. This heat energy stimulates the cells resulting in the increased formation and construction of collagen and elastin fibres which reduces urinary incontinence and improves bladder control. Treatments using Radio Frequency energy also enhance natural lubrication, increase sensation, and improve external appearance.
Is the Tightra Safe to Use?
Tightra has several safety mechanisms to monitor the temperature of the skin in use. With 16 built-in heat sensors, it ensures that the skin it is focused on doesn’t overheat and cause any kind of irritation or pain. It also has a touch sensor that ensures the device is only active when proper skin contact is achieved. Additionally, an auto shut-off function turns the device off after 20 minutes, the recommended treatment duration.
Who Can Use Tightra?
This product can be used for any women experiencing urinary incontinence. Since one-third of women who have given birth experience incontinence, millions of people world-wide can benefit from using Tightra.
However, pregnant women aren’t the only people who are able to use this device. It is estimated that 55% of post-menopausal women can also experience urinary incontinence. After menopause, women produce less estrogen, a hormone that helps to keep the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy. Deterioration of these tissues and muscles can lead to incontinence and dryness.
Childbirth, aging, hormonal factors, and genetics can all lead to a weakened pelvic floor. This results in a loss of bladder control, tightness, and elasticity.
How Does It Work?
Tightra has two operational modes, internal and external.
Internal Mode – use this mode to tighten the muscles of the pelvic floor and to reduce incontinence and increase muscle strength and tone.
- Empty bladder prior to treatment
- Apply a small amount of Silk’n intimate gel to all device electrodes
- Select the lowest of the three energy levels
- Device should be used lying down
- Insert the device into the vagina as far as is comfortable
- Heat/energy level can be gradually increased during treatment session if desired
- You will feel short vibrations during the treatment, this indicates that the device is still in treatment mode
- For best results, use the highest level you are most comfortable with
- Rotate the device occasionally to maintain conductivity
- Device shuts off after 20 minutes. You will feel several short vibrations to indicate the treatment is complete
You should aim to complete the full 20-minute treatment from 2 to 3 times a week, for 4 weeks total.
External Mode – use this mode to tighten the external skin vulva tissues for an improved appearance
- Skin in the treatment area should be shaved, clean and dry. Ensure there are no products on the treatment area
- All piercings must be removed prior to use
- Apply a small amount of Silk’n intimate gel to the 3 chrome-coloured electrodes
- Device should be used lying down
- Initiate External Mode setting
- While lying down, place the electrode on the labia (the external rounded folds of skin), ensuring there is good skin contact
- Move device slowly but firmly in a circular or linear motion
- If you do not feel any heat, the device is not in good skin contact
- The device will emit a low level of heat, this indicates the device is working correctly
- Tightra will automatically shut off after 20 minutes
- You may experience slight redness or swelling in the treated area following the session. This may last between 2 – 5 days and is normal. Consult your physician if redness persists after 5 days
You should aim to complete the full 20-minute treatment from 2 to 3 times a week, for 4 weeks total.
In Conclusion
Stress urinary incontinence is completely normal, natural, and more common than you might think. Whether you developed it via a pregnancy or through another medical condition, there are multiple ways to help reduce the effects of this. Thankfully, there are lifestyle changes, exercises, and even tools to help strengthen the muscles in charge of controlling your urine.
With the Silk’n Tightra, regaining control of your bladder post-pregnancy or after hitting menopause has never been easier. Check out the device and see if it can help with your SUI.
